Apparatus for measuring, indicating, and recording true vertical and horizontal distances



R. D. MOYER SURING, INDICAT May 25. 1954 2,679,106

APPARATUS FOR MEA'l ING. AND RECORDING TRUE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL 'DISTANCES Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945y 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HTTO KN ETS May 25,' 1954 PARATUS FOR vl. D. MQYER MEASURING. INDICATING. AND RECORDING TRUE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DISTANCES Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2% 2M mi 252' NNW 515 j 4 NE: 5-

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ATTORNEY May 25, 1954 R. D. MoYER 2,679,106 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING, INDICATING. AND RECORDING TRUE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DISTANCES Original Filed Oct. 23, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I l 5f 1|" i f0.3 .-nlllli 1| 4| Q 4M 452 470 f. 4@ 450 4),? H7 451 d I! w 454 m 45a 455 497 440 454 1M 154 4 495 454 n Z ,465 gg .325 300 551 A I 55 g /50346 ffl-f l L a1 l s 450 457 447 l 427 162 5p@ H az zer i /zf 461 2 z 455 Jar l 2 j?, m 2" @fannlzm 42 NVENTOR 417e j d/atJl/fayer l e 450 455 Il BY V 452 452 Q 157 A j @www4/lm ATTORNEYS Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES 'ArtNr oFFIcs AND RECORDING TRUE VERTICAL AND HORlZONTAL DISTANCES Ralph 1).*Moyer, Dunbar, Pa.

Griginal application 623,984, new latent No.

Divided and this application Serial No. 306,186

gust 26, 1952. August 25, 1952,

october 23, 1945, serial No.

2,607,996, dated Auzclaims. (o1. ca -141.5)

This invention relates to mechanism for continually recording true horizontal and vertical distances and/or for continually plotting true distances and directions traversed by a vehicle in which the mechanism is mounted.

In making surveys to obtain, for example, the profile of the terrain over which a road, pipe line, or the like is to be run, it is now usual to dispatch a surveying party over the route to determine, using Vconventional surveying equipment, the angles and distances of ascent or descent of the proposed route. The notes and iigures made by the party then serve as the basis for calculations which derive the true vertical and horizontal distances of the terrain which has been surveyed, and a profile section is then drawn to suitable scale.

Similar difficulties and tedious calculations attend the mapping of a route to show the horizontal distances and directions over which the ultimatel structure is to run.

lt is particularly difficult to determine the pronle of submerged terrain, such as the profile of a river or harbor bed. In the latter instance, it has been necessary for the surveying party to cross the body of water in boats, taking periodic soundings, the locations oi which are determined by a second group of surveyors on the river or harbor bank. Such soundings, when reduced to graphic form, or subsurface condition. Frequently unexpected depressions or obstructions will be found within the coniines of the area or between selectedr points at which the soundings were made, and in running submerged pipe at times been necessary to reroute the pipe lines because oi these unforeseen and unpredictable subsurface conditions.

The present invention affords means whereby the true vertical and horizontal distances of the proposed route may be continually and accurately plotted as a vehicle or car containing the equipment is pushed or otherwise propelled over the line o survey. For profiling, the mechanism continually determines the true horizontal and vertical distances traversed, as well as recording the actual distance of travel. For mapping, or plotting, the mechanism may additionally inscribe on a separate chart, the true horizontal projection ci the distance traversed regardless ci whether the mechanism has been propelled over ascending or descending paths.

As presently considered, it is contemplated that the invention will have its great applicability in profiling and sectioning,

show only'the approximate proiile lines, for example, it has to provide a basis for I' earthwork computations and to afford means of economically and quickly ascertaining the status of earth-moving or earth-filling operations at periodic intervals.

It is a feature of the invention that the car containing the automatic calculator may be drawn or otherwise moved across submerged terrain, and the recording mechanism may be mounted in a boat containing the observation party. For extended underwater distances, such as wide rivers, or harbors, it is entirely feasible for a diver to push or draw the carriage over the bottom, and the actual route taken by the diver during such underwater transit is continually shown to the observation party on the surface. Hence, should the diver unknowingly deviate from the initially proposed route, his attention can be called to such deviation by intercommunicating telephone, and he can either correct his movement or explain to the observation party what sub-surface condition necessitated the deviation.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide means for continually and autornaticalll7 calculating and recording true vertical and horizontal distances traversed by a carriage or the like containing the apparatus.

It is another object of the invention to provide means whereby a continuous prole, for example, may be recorded as a carriage or other vehicle containing the equipment traverses a proposed route.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide improved means whereby the relative speed and direction of movement of a stylus with respect to a plotting sheet may be continually madea function of the angle of ascent or descent of the vehicle, and/ or the deviation of a vehicle from an established directional meridian.

It is another object oi the invention to provide means whereby a recording mechanism may 3e driven at speeds proportional to the angles of ascent or descent, or deviation of the mechanism from an established meridian or pre-established direction of travel.

lt is another object oi the invention to provide a surveying instrument in which certain trigonometric iunctions of the angles of ascent or descent of a vehicle, or the course of the vehicle with respect to an established meridian, may be continually and automatically analyzed to establish the true horizontally and vertically projected 1distances over which the vehicle has run.

it is yet another object of the invention to pro- -vide apparatus having recorder means which will i? continually show the deviation of the apparatus from a horizontal plane, or from a meridian.

It is another object of the invention to provide a surveying instrument of the class described in which the means for automatically analyzing the trigonometric functions of the angles of deviation of the equipment from a vertical or horizontal plane may be separated from the recording equipment, whereby the mechanism, for example, may be run along a submerged route.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a surveying instrument whereby at every desired unit of true horizontal distance, asuitable station mark may automatically be made on the terrain over which the instrument is travelling.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter be apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows,

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a carriage having mounted therein a second embodiment of the invention incorporatingprofile and mapping calculators and recorders;

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the proportionah speed mechanism used for the mapping of routes traversed by the carriage;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, specifically of the proportional-speed mechanism of the route mapping portion of the embodiment of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevational View of the proportional-speed mechanism oi the route-mapping section, with the gyroscope shown somewhat schematically;

Fig. 5 is a schematic end elevation of the respective profile recording' and map recording elements of the embodiment of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of the roller drive gearing of the profile recording and map recording structures;

Fig. 7 is a plan View of a second form of trigonometric proportional-speed mechanism, which may be used' alternatively with the cross sectioning or mappingmechanism of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on lines 8--8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an elevational detail taken on lines 9-9 of Fig.y 7;

Fig. l0 is a side elevation of a vehicle embodying cross sectioning and route mapping speed mechanism; and

Fig. l1 is a somewhat schematic detail of the plumb weight and resistor structure by means of which the cam plates of Fig. '1 are shifted according to the ascent or descent of the vehicle.

In this invention, Fig. 1 illustrates a carriage 22! equipped with apparatus forprole-plotting, station marking apparatus, and apparatus for recording .the direction of travel of the carriage. This is a division application of my copending application Serial No. 623,984, nled October 23, 1945, which became Patent No. 2,607,996, issued ,A1,1gust`26, 19.52. The prole-plotting appara-tus is essentially the same as that described in my above mentioned application. In the carriage 22o a gyrocompass unit housing 22! is positioned on the lower carriage chassis, and a storage battery 222 is mounted over a reservoir 33. The proportional-speed mechanism for the inapping portion is contained in a housing 223 hnmediately beneath a modified chart housing 224, and is connected therewith by three preferably flexible drive shafts. as later explained.

In service, it is obvious that the apparatus will traverse routes that will be hilly andcurving, and

devices, r.. and embodying the Fig. 7 form of proportionalin order properly to map the route, the horizontal projections of the actual slopes must be continuously derived, and the directional components of an angular course must also be determined. Sine-cosine cones are employed to break the course down with its directional components, and such cones are driven from the chart-drive roll of the profile recorder. Hence, the cones revolve at a speed which is always indicative of the horizontal component of the travel of the carriage 220. True north is established by means of a conventional gyrocompasss connected to and driven from the storage battery 222. Fig. 4 somewhat schematically shows the gyrocompass in which Vthe electric motor 223 and gyro wheel 235i are mounted on a turn table 23! supported on anti-friction bearings (not shown). It will be understood that the gyrocompass assembly and housing 22E are completely water-tight to permit the carriage 226 to be transported across the underwater line of survey. As is well known, the gyrocompass will effectively resist any deviation from its established north-south axis of rotation, and hence the position of the rheostat 232 and the respective Contact rings will change with respect 'to a contact brush 23S insulatedly carried by the gyro turntable 23| as the carriage deviates to the right or left of the established meridian. This action is much the same as that of a boat with respect to its compass. Although the compass card appears to swing, it is actually the boat which revolves about the compass card.

The gyrocompass, rheostat, and the Contact rings are used to effect changes in direction and speed of movement of a recorder chart. and direction and speed of movement of a stylus carriage associated therewith, all as later explained.

Within the chamber 223 are supported, see Fig. 2, a pair of sine-cosine cones 242, 2M, carried on shaft extensions of gears 242, 223', mounted on a bed plate 244 slidably supported within trackways 245 formed in the base plate 226 of the housiing 223. Extending axially above said gears and journaled in suitable bearings is a shaft 2li? fixed to which are the respective gears 248, 269 which mesh respectively with the elongate gears 242, 243. @ne end of shaft 241 has fixed thereto a bevel gear 25d in mesh with a mating gear 25! fixed to the end of a stub shaft 252 which extends upwardly through a gland in the upper part of housing 223, where connection is made to preferably flexible shaft 225.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the chart housing 224 is divided into two sectionsin one of which 25313, there is located a profile-plotting chart and therewith assocated equipment for the illustrated stylus carriage 254 and chart 255 which are driven by the cables Si), 3l, through gear boxes Hill, i511. The other section, 2li-3M, contains. the chart, stylus carriage and associated drive equipment for mapping. The profile-chart drive roll 255 is provided with a bevel gear 257 which meshes with a cooperating gear 258 xed to the one end of a shaft 25S which extends downwardly through a gland. at the bottom of the housing and connects with the other end of shaft 225. It will be understood that chart drive roll 25S and the stylus carriage worm 269i are driven from the proportional-speed cone drive in the housing 21. For simplification, the drive means from housing 2l to the chart roll and stylus worm have been eliminated from Figs. 5 and 6. It may be assumed that such drive means are at the opposite ends of housing section Shafts 259, 225, 252, 241, and hence the cones 240, 24H, are thereby driven at speeds which correspond to the of wheel 269 when said wheel speed of true horizontal movementl of the carriage 220, regardless of the slope of the terrain over which the apparatus is moving. i

In the mapping section 253M means are provided to move the stylus carriage 26| and its associated stylus 262 lengthwise of the chart table, for north and south travel of the apparatus. This is accomplished by rotation of the worm 264 in one or the other direction by a reversible drive, later explained. Means are provided to move the chart in either direction beneath the stylus, for east-west movement of the apparatus.

The drive means for the stylus carriage com'- prises a proportional speed mechanism which includes a frame 265 mounted on the base plate 246 and having a pair of trackways or guides, one of which, 266, is shown fully in Fig. 2. But a portion of the other, 261is shown. Each of said trackways slidably supports a carriage, such as 268, at one end of which is a drive wheel 269 engaging with the adjacent sine-cosine cone 24|. It will be understood that a second carriage (not shown) carries a drive wheel for cooperation with the second cone 249. A spring 210 urges the carriage 268 in the direction of the cone, and

stop means, guide rails, and the like are provided. By spur and bevel'gearing, as shown in Fig. 2, the rotation of wheel 269 is transmitted tothe horizontally disposed shaft 21| supported in posts 212. It will be understood that a second organization of gearing connects the counterpart of wheel 269 to shaft 21|,and hence said shaft is also driven by rotation oi the said counterpart soft iron cores 215, 216 which extend freely into the respective solenoid coils 211, 218. A pair of equal-tension springs 219 connect from the bracket 21d to the respective coil supporting brackets 213. With the solenoid coils deenergized, the springs position the bed plate 244 so L,

that the drive wheel 269 and its counterpart are at the extreme ends of the cones; in other words, the cones are centered with respect to the drive wheels.

engages with the The solenoids are deenergized so long as the carriage is travelling in a true north or south direction, for in such direction of travel it is obvious that the stylus carriage 26| should be moving at maximum speed with respect to the chart 263.

Referring now to Fig. 4, itis seen that the ff' rheostat 232 is divided into four quadrants, re.- spectively designated NE, SW, SE, NW, with insulation between the quadrants NE, NW, and SE, SW. As is shown from the circuit diagram of Fig. 4, the brush 236, when the carriage is progressing due north, occupies one of the insulation spaces between the NE and NW rheostat segment and hence no current will flow to either solenoid. As the carriage is moved in an easterly direction, the rheostat, xed to the carriage,y will h move clockwise with respect to the brush 236, and the brushwill Contact to the NE portion of the rheostat, to an amount which dependsupon the extent of deviation from north. Current will then flow from the battery'222 through the brush 6 and rheostat quadrant NE, through conductor 289 to solenoid 218 to ground. The solenoid will be energized to an extent depending upon the effective resistance of the NE quadrant and will attract its core 216 moving the sub-base and associated cones to the left of Fig. 4. The cone 22| will be the effective drive cone and drive wheel 269 will take up a position along its surface which is equal to the amount of movement of the sub-base. Drive wheel 269 will rotate at a slower speed because it engages with a reduceddiameter portion of the cone and will slow the travel ci the stylus carriage, as later explained.

For due easterly travel, the brush 236 will bridge the respective rheostat quadrants NE and SE and full power would be transmited to rheostat 218. The sub-base and associated cones will be moved to their extreme position until the drive wheel 269 is positioned at the ap-ex of cone 26| and the wheel, theoretically, will have no rotation. As thelcarriage proceeds in-a more southerly direction, the resistance of the SE quadrant increases, decreasing the power of solenoid 218, and permitting the springs 219 to reverse the direction of movement of the cones until, at due south, the wheel 269 would again be at the point of maximum diameter of cone 24 Similarly, if the carriage took a course to the west of north, a portion of rheostat NW would contact the brush 236, and current would ow through conductor 26| to solenoid 211, shifting the sub-base and thereon mounted cones in the opposite direction wherein cone 246 would drive the counterpart oi wheel 269.

rlhe power of solenoid 211 is similarly increased until at due west, the solenoid has maximum power and the said drive wheel is at the apex of cone 246. Proceeding from due west to south, the power of solenoid 211 is progressively less until, at due south, neither solenoid would be energized and the respective drive wheels would again have maximum speed of rotation.

Shaft 21|, as previously explained, is driven by either drive wheel through the gear train. 'Ihe shaft mounts idler gears 226, 29|, each of which has a clutch tooth portion, respectively 292, 293. Splined on the shaft 21| is a clutch 294, the teeth of which may engage with the teeth on either gear 296 or 291. A frame 295 fixed to the base plate 256 rotatably supports a shaft 296 having a bevel gear 261 which is in continuous mesh with the respective gears 2266, 29|. The shaft 296, as well as all shafts passing through the upper wall of the housing, may have a coupling 299. rlhe shaft extends through a gland 299, and couples to a drive shaft 666, which at its opposite end connects to the gland nut 69| beneath housing 253MLv Shaft 292 extending through the gland 362, and thereby driven by shaft 306, has a bevel gear 32d meshing with a gear 365 xed to the end of worm 26d. Said worm 264 may be journaled in a vertical wall 396 of a bearing bracket 361.

The stylus carriage may be assumed to proceed vertically up the chart for northerly directions of travel of the carriage, and in reverse directions for southerly directions of travel. The reversal of rotation of direction of movement of the shaft 362, and hence of the worm 26d, is accomplished by shifting the clutch 2911 to engage with either of the idler gears 29o or 225.

The shift of' the clutch is accomplished by means of solenoids 366, 369, the armatures or cores of which are normally held in neutral position by the springs Sit, 3| i. At the-middle point aaron-oe ofthe armatures there is affixed a pivoted clutch `shaft lever 352? the forked end of which rides in the peripheral groove of clutch 2M, as appears in Fig. 3.

Contact ring 331i is divided into two mutually insulated, semi-circular segments, respectively designated rl and S. A conductor Sii-3 connects the N'segment with the solenoid Set, whereas conductor Sli@ connects the S segment with solenoid Hence, with the carriage travelling in a northerly direction, i. e., in any direction .northerly of due east or due west, the brush 233 is in Contact with the N segment and battery power transmitted to solenoid 3&9, energizing the solenoid and throwing the clutch so that the shaft i3d rotates the worm 25 in a direction which will cause the stylus to travel up the chart.

Conversely, for any southerly direction of travel, the E5 segment is engaged by the brush 233 to energize the solenoid 333 and throw the clutch for a reverse direction the worin 2te.

The single wheel H5 is carried upon the slidable carriage which is supported in frame 3l?. The wheel dit engages with. and is driven by either cone or Ei for the purpose of recording the east-west components of travel of the carriage. The solenoids 2li, lil/73 are independently energized according to whether the carriage is moving in an easterly or westerly course, and depending upon the course, the wheel 3 Iii engages with either of the cones. The clutelassembly and gearing for translating the rotation of the wheel 3 l5 into one or another direction of rotation of the shaft dit, and the clutch assembly, and gearing, in its entirety has been designated 32d. In the present embodiment, the clutch is thrown electromagnetically and, therefore, the clutch shift lever 3.2i is pivoted to a post 322 and is secured to the mid-point of spring-balanced solenoid cores 323 Fig 4) which cooperate with the respective suitably supported solenoids 324, 325.

As clearly appears in 4, the coil 32d is connected by means of conductor 323 to the westerly segment W of the contact ring 235, whereas the coil 325 connects through conductor @2T to the segment of the said ring. Hence, as the carriage proceeds in an easterly direction, the entire assembly of the rheostat 232 and the respective Contact rings will rotate clockwise relatively to the xed position of brush and current will flow from the battery through brush 236, E segment, then through conductor sil to energize solenoid This will pull the solenoid core downwardly and will rotate the clutch lever 32i counterclockwise and the clutch member will engage the uppermost idler of the clutch assembly 323 and will correspondingly rotate the shaft 3 I8.

The shaft 3H? passes through a gland to a iitting which provides for connection to a shaft 33l which connects, at its opposite end, to the stub shaft 33:2 extending through the illustrated gland in the base of the housing section 253M. By the illustrated bevel gearing 333, 33e, the rotation of shaft 332 is transmitted to the drive shaft 335 of chart drive roll 333 frictionally engaging chart roll 331. A second chart drive roll, 33S, is provided and is driven from the same shaft 332 through a second assembly of bevel gearing, 339, 343. Said gearing is driven from gearing 34! 3&2 at one end of shaft 353 supported in bracket 336, as clearly appears in Figs. 5 and 6. The purpose of the second drive roll 337 is to afford means whereby the direction of movement of the chart 263 beneath the stylus 262 may be reversed as the course of the carriage changes from easterly to westerly. As the course changes to Westerly it will beobvious that the W segment of the ring 235 will energize the solenoid 324, rotating the clutch .lever 32E clockwise of Fig. 4 so that an opposite direction of movement of shaft 3 I 8 will result, with a reverse movement of travel of chart 263 beneath the stylus.

In the foregoing description, it has been assumed that the gyroscope has been set so that the brush 236 points to geographical north. Hence, the stylus .carriage travels vertically up and down the chart for northerly and southerly courses taken by the apparatus. It is apparent that for a long northerly or southerly course, the stylus would come to the ends of the chart and would have to be reset as by raising the stylus carriage gear segment 31M out of engagement with the worm 26d and shifting the carriage 26! to a new position on the chart.

For long northerly or southerly courses, the chart will therefore show a succession of substantially vertical lines spaced along the chart. Therefore, when the line to be surveyed or mapped is predominantly northerly or southerly, it may be preferable to set the axis of rotation of the gyroscope so that the brush 23E points geographically easterly or Westerly, whereupon the chart 233, and not the stylus carriage, records the north-south directions of travel. Hence, the stylus will not have to be reset until the entire length of the chart paper roll has been unwound.

The apparatus of this embodiment also provides for submarine surveys through the ef;- pedient of separating carriage 220 and increasing the lengths of electric cable 345 from gyro to battery 222 and the lengths of flexible cable 3), 3l connecting the proportional speed housing to the prole-plotting housing 22d. The short length of cable 346 from the batery to housing 223, as well as the respective flexible-shaft drives 225, 3B!) and 33l, need not be changed because these elements are all located above the point of separation of the carriage 323.

It will be understood, of course, that the cables 345, 346 are multiple-conductor cables, containing all conductors .necessary for the gyroscope and solenoid lead Wires.

Figs. 7 through 11 show another embodiment of the invention' utilizing cam track means in lieu of sine-cosine cones for effecting the trigonometric proportional-speed drive. Fig. l0 shows a carriage equipped with cross-sectioning and mapping. apparatus as previously described with respect to Figs. 1 through 6,` and as such, all apparatus in common with Figs. l through 6 have been given identical reference characters. The modied carriage 420, Fig. 10, is equipped with a superstructure assembly which may be separated from the lower chassis assembly, as at the demountable joints 32.

The apparatus of Fig. l0 has, in lieu of the water-tight chamber 27 of Fig. 1, a mcded chamber 421 located in the upper superstructure portion of the carriage, and the vehicle 23253 has, Within a water-tight chamber 1323 on the lower chassis portion, a plumb weight organization Which actuates a resistance and contact plate, presently described.

Referring now to Fig. 7, the base plate 338 of chamber 42's' is provided with a pair of spaced parallel. trackways 113|, 43| within which are slidably mounted cam plates V andlf which are tied togethery by a cross member 432 for conjoint slidng motion in the direction of travel of the vehicle 420. Extending downwardly from the geometric center of plate 432 so that it will be in line with the transverse center lines of plates V and H, is a bracket 433, fixed to which are the cores 434, 435, of the respective solenoids 436, 431, xedly supported in brackets 438, 439, secured to and extending downwardly from the base 436. A water-tight housing 446 encloses the solenoid assembly. Springs 442, 443, of equal strength, are fixed at one end to the respective brackets 438, 439, and at their opposite ends to the bracket 433. The springs are so tensioned that with equal power in both solenoids, the bracket 433, and hence the respective plates V and H, will be on center.

Plate V has a cam track VS which represents a sine curve over the angular range of from 90 degrees to 270 degrees, whereas plate H has a cam track HC which represents a cosine curve over the angular range of from 90 degrees to 210 degrees.

A pair of brackets 445, 446 fixed to plate 430 at opposite sides of the plates V and H support parallel guide rails 441, 448, which are in a vertical plane passing through the midpoint of the respective cam tracks when the carriage, and hence the chamber 421, is on a horizontal plane. Arranged to ride along said guide rails are a pair of sliding frames 450, have pins 452, 453 which ride within the respective cam tracks VS and HC.

Disposed within the frame 456 is a wheel 455, splined to a shaft 456, one end of which is journaled in a bracket 451, which extends through bracket 445 mounted thereon a bevel gear 458. The shaft 456 is in the plane which passes through the centers of the guide rails 441 and 446.

Similarly, the frame 45| rotatably carries a wheel 460, the splined shaft 46| of which is jourw naled at one end in a bracket 462 and at the opposite end in the bracket 446; said shaft 46| terminates in a bevel gear 463. Shaft 46| is likewise in the vertical plane of the guide rails 441 and 448.

A pair of bridge members 465, 466, which are supported upon the plate 436 and straddle the respective plates V and H as shown in Fig. '1, rotatably mount shafts 461, 468 which are in the longitudinal center line of the respective plates V and H. Projecting forwardly from the bridge 465, and fixed to the ends of shafts 461, 468, are pla-ne surfaced wheels 416, 41| which are respectively in contact with the wheels 455 and 463. Shaft 461 has fixed thereto a gear 412 and shaft 468 has a precisely similar gear 413. The bridge 466 supports one end of shaft 415 which carries a gear 416 in continuous mesh with the respective gears 412, 413. The opposite end of shaft 415 is journaled within a bracket 411, and carries a bevel gear 418 in mesh with a second gear 486. The respective shafts 461 and 463 are slidably journaled in the respective bridge members, and are urged in the direction of the wheels 455 and 468, as by the coil springs 48|, 482.

As shown in Fig. 8, the gear 480 is at an end of a suitably journaled shaft 483 which passes through a gland 484 to connect with a flexible drive cable 485. Said cable 485 connects with and is rotated by the shaft 42 which in turn is operatively associated by suitable gearing with the wheel 2|F for rotation as the carriage traverses the route to be surveyed.

45| which respectively x -chassis sectionof the vehicle.

It will be seen, therefore, that as the carriage is propelled along the line of survey, the flexible shaft 485 will, through the gearing 466, 416, rotate shaft 415 and, through the illustrated gear train, will cause the shafts 461, 46E and their associated wheels 416, 4H to rotate. The wheel 455 is in contact with the wheel 413 and so long as the said wheel is not at the precise center of wheel 416, rotation of the latter wheel will cause wheel 455 to rotate. Similarly, so long as wheel 466 is not at the precise center of rotation of wheel 41| the latter wheel will cause wheel 466 to rotate.

It will be understood that the points of contact of wheels 455 and 458 with their associated driving wheels 415 and 41| is along a line which passes through the centers of rotation of said driving wheels.

lt is apparent that as the cam plates V and I-l are moved to the left or right of Fig. 1, the frames 453 and 45| will shift the wheels 455 and 463 over the surface ofthe respective drive wheels 413 and 41|, and the wheels 455 and 466 will have a speed of rotation proportional to the distance which the said wheels are from the centers of rotation of their driving wheels. Inasmuch as the respective cam tracks represent trigonometric functions, the speeds of rotation of the wheels 455 and 463 will be proportional to the trigonometric functions represented by the position of the respective'cam plates. When the vehicle is traversing a horizontal plane, it is apparent that the wheel 455, representing the' vertical component of movement of the vehicle, should have no rotation, whereas the wheel 46|), representing the horizontal component of travel of the vehicle, should have maximum speed of rotation.

The movement of the respective cam plates V and H according to the angle of inclination or declination of the vehicle 426 is effected by regulation of the power input to either of the solenoids 436 or 431. Such regulation is by means of a plumb weight 496 having afxed thereto a segment 49|, which is of insulation material, or faced with insulation material. The plumb weight and segment are pivotally suspended from a shaft 492 extending transversely of the direction of movement of the vehicle, the said plumb weight and its associated segment being contained within Vthe chamber 428 on the lower The insulating segment 43| carries a rheostat 433. A brush 496 is fixed so that with the vehicle on a horizontal plane it is at the mid-resistance point of the rheostat 493. As the carriage traverses an ascending slope, the left hand portion of the resistance 493 will engage with the grounded brush 496. Considering initially the effect of the change in effective resistance of rheostat 493,

it would be noted that the lead 491 connects to the solenoid 436 and the lead 438 connects to the solenoid 431.V With the carriage on a horizontal plane, the same amount of voltage flows from the battery 220 to each solenoid, and the bracket 433 is, therefore, held at midposition. As the vehicle enters on the ascending slope and the left hand portion of rheostat 493 contacts the brush496, there will be less resistance in the circuit to solenoid 436 and more in the circuit to solenoid 431; hence, solenoid 436 will exert a net pull on the cores 434 and 435 which will cause the bracket 433 to shift to the left on Fig. 8, and hence move lthe plates V and H to the left of Fig. '1. Cam track HC will, through the frame 45|, move the wheel 460 toward the center of a,679`, los

wheel fili, and hence said wheel 460 will have a slower speed of rotation. The movement of plate V, however, will cause the cam track, acting through the frame 550, to shift the wheel 455 away from the center of drive wheel 416, i. e., downwardly as viewed in Fig. '7 to an amount equal to the natural sine of the angle of ascent, and hence the wheel 455 Will be driven by wheel at a speed which is proportional to said natural sine.

Similarly, if the vehicle were to enter on a escending slope, solenoid 431 would receive more power than solenoid 436, and the cam plates would be drawn to the right of Fig. 7. Slot HC would cause wheel 450 to be moved toward the center of wheel 4H, and cam slot VS would cause the wheel 455 to be moved upwardly of Fig. 7 to assume a new position across the center of Wheel 4l@ in proportion to the extent of angle of descent of the carriage. It is obvious that as wheel 455 travels beyond the center of wheel M0, it, and its shaft 458, will have an opposite direction of rotation.

The gear 58 rotated by shaft 456 meshes with a gear 505 suitably supported on the bracket 445, and driving the flexible shaft 30 through the water-tight gland 55|. The shaft 30 connects, as in the previous embodiments, to the stylus carriage drive worm of the cross section chart portion of the apparatus. It will be understood that the flexible shaft 3G drives said stylus carriage worm through the gear change mechanism i3d as previously described.

Gear 533 meshes with and drives a gear 502 suitably supported in the bracket Q46 and connected through the water-tight gland U3 with the flexible drive cable 3| which, as in the previously described embodiments, motivates the chart drive means of the cross section chart portion of the apparatus, said drive being through the gear change mechanism 154 shown in Fig. 10.

It is apparent that the cam plates H and V with their trigonometric cam slots may be utilized wherever the sine-cosine cones have been shown in the previous embodiments. For example, in the embodiments of Figs. 1 through 6, the sine-cosine cones 24| and 246, which are driven from the chart drive mechanism and the profile-plotting or cross-sectioning portion of the machine, may be replaced by the assembly illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the drive of the gear V16 thereof being from the cross-section chart drive mechanism.

It will be noted that it is not necessary to have a reversing clutch in the drive for the reason that the wheel 4155 automatically reverses its direction of rotation as it passes from one side to the other of the center of wheel d70 corresponding to a shift from an ascending to descending path of travel of the vehicle.

The embodiment last described has a practical advantage over the previous embodiment in that the major part of the proportional-speed and plotting mechanisms are located on the demountable superstructure portion of the vehicle. The lower chassis portion contains only relatively compact and easily sealed apparatus, and the only elements which require alteration as the vehicle is separated to permit an underwater survey are the electrical cables 345 and 565 which connect the battery with the electrical apparatus of the last described embodiment. It will be understood that the station-marking conduit 82 must be broken and plugged when underwater surveys are to be made, and that the flexible cable 435 must be appropriately lengthened. When heavy conductors are used in the respective cables, the difference in the conductor resistance for changes in cable length up to ft. will probably be so negligible that the operation of the various electrical devices will not be noticeably affected. For longer cable lengths, or for cables employing smaller gauge conductors, it may be necessary to equip the apparatus with an adjustable resistance so that under all conditions of use the increasing or decreasing cable lengths may be compensated to provide an approximately uniform total resistance.

Although the invention has been described by making a fully detailed reference to the certain presently preferred embodiments, such detail of description is to be understood in an instructive rather than a limiting sense, many changes being possible within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for rotating shaft means at speeds proportional to a trigonometric function, comprising a vehicle having at least one rotatable ground contacting member of known circumference; a drive wheel rotated by said ground contacting member of known circumference; a cam mounted in said vehicle and movable therein in directions parallel to the direction of travel of said vehicle; said cam having a cam surface representing a curve derived by plotting a trigonometric angular function over an angular range including the total expected angular deviation of said vehicle from a predetermined normal path of movement; a shaft-drive wheel engaging with and driven by said first named drive wheel, said wheel rotating in a plane intersecting the plane of said drive wheel and being operatively associated with said shaft means to rotate the same; slidable support means for said shaftdrive wheel and having cam follower means cooperating with said cam surface, said support means being guided for movement parallel to the plane of rotation of said drive wheel, whereby movement of said cam effects movement of said shaft-drive wheel across the face of said drive wheel; means including solenoid means for moving said cam means; and means for regulating the power exerted by said solenoid according to the angular deviation of said vehicle from travel in a predetermined normal path.

2. Apparatus for rotating shaft means at speeds proportional to a trigonometric function, comprising a vehicle having at least one rotatable ground contacting member of known circumference; a drive wheel rotated by said ground contacting member of know circumference; a cani mounted in said vehicle and movable therein in directions parallel to the direction of travel of said vehicle; said cam having a cam surface representing a curve derived by plotting a trigonometric angular function over an angular range including the total expected angular deviation of said vehicle from a predetermined normal path oi' movement; a shaft-drive wheel engaging with and driven by said rst named drive wheel, said wheel rotating in a plane intersecting the plane of said drive wheel and being operatively associated with said shaft means to rotate the same; slidable support means for said shaftdrive wheel and having cam follower means cooperating with said cam surface, said support being guided for movement parallel to the plane of rotation of said drive wheel, whereby movement of said cam effects movement of saidshaftdrive wheel across the face of said drive Wheel; means including solenoid means for moving said cam means in an amount proportional to the angular deviation of said vehicle from travel in said predetermined normal path; rheostat means in circuit with the solenoid; and means for establishing the effective resistance of said rheostat means according to the angular deviation of said vehicle from travel in a predetermined normal path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Batson et al. Jan. 3, 1899 Rozic May 27, .1913 Hart Nov. 15, 1938 Jackson Mar. 7, 1939 Spitzer July 23, 1940 Holmes et al Dec. 21, 1943 

